75 Years Of USO: Part III

Soldiers on leave could check their children with this woman (at a somewhat precarious-looking early day care) to enjoy a night out with the wife.

Below is the YWCA Honolulu building Service Women’s Lounge for women serving in the war.

Among these nattily-dressed women is Mary McLeod Bethune, president of the National Council of Negro Women. She is supervising a USO game of Chinese checkers.

Soon, celebrities would begin to entertain the troops. The first was Joe E. Brown, whom you may recall from last month’s post, Ripped At Sixty. He was the first Hollywood star to tour front-line bases, including Alaska and the Aleutians in 1942. Sadly, that same year, his own son was lost when his A-20 Havoc crashed during pilot training.

Here Joe signs a bomb.

Brown was one of only two civilians to be awarded the Bronze Star in WWII. But by far, the name most connected with the USO was Bob Hope, whom we’ll spotlight tomorrow.